Easy 2 Bansko – Eco Path – St. Nicola Chapel – Dobrinishte

Easy 2

Bansko – Eco path – St. Nicola chapel – Dobrinishte

Duration: 4 hrs

Ascent: 310 m

Starting point: Visitor’s Information Center Pirin National Park 100

100 – 106 From the starting point walk up the asphalt road until you reach the Eco path – it’s on the right side of the road with wooden shed and concrete alleys through the wood 102. Take any of the alleys and walk up until you reach another wooden shed and where the concrete alley ends 106.

106 - 107 Continue walking on the wide path, which follows after the end of the concrete alley.

108 – 113 This path takes you to the main asphalt road. Once you step on the road, take left. There are round marks made of white and blue paint on the trees along the way. Follow the marks and you will pass by an apartment complex (not operating), after that the road goes up, there’s no more asphalt, so continue on the dirt road through the wood.

114 After you’ve been walking about 2 hours since you’ve passed the apartment complex, you will see the round white-blue mark and an arrow on a tree in front of you. Take the direction the arrow shows – left and down on a narrow path trough the wood. There are some steep bits on the way down but in about 15 min it becomes flat.

115 – 117 After the last steep part there is an open space with a wider path going through – take left and walk on this path. Next you’ll see a wooden sign and a stone memorial. There is a path going up the hill with a wooden handrail along. Walk up and you’ll find the St. Nocola’s chapel on top of the hill.

118 As you walk back down on the same path take right and continue on the dirt road. Once you’ve come out of the wood, take right and walk on the dirt road towards the town of Dobrinishte.

119 – 120 Dobrinishte is a very small town. Walking down to the bus station, you will pass by the square 119. You may stop by one of the famous mehana (traditional restaurant) of Dobrinishte – Macedonia or Babuch – they are very close to one another. Behind Macedonia there is a nice garden, where you can find the town’s mineral baths 120.

To return to Bansko (5km), you can take a bus from Dobrinishte bus station – 12:20 pm; 3:27 pm; at 5:35 pm is the last one, but it does not travel on Tuesdays and Sundays.